


A Little Kind of Magic

by Star55



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-28
Updated: 2015-02-28
Packaged: 2018-03-15 16:57:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3454778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Star55/pseuds/Star55
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A tiny tale of Louis' Very Important Birthday and Christmas at Hogwarts that Harry loves celebrating with his best friend whom he absolutely is not in love with. No matter what Niall says. (He's a little in love with Louis.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Little Kind of Magic

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fourfiveseconds](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fourfiveseconds/gifts).



> i hope that you like this, kiko. i'm sorry that it was more birthday themed than christmas themed.

There’s a loud bang, followed by a series of hushed giggles that are really louder than they’re probably intended to be. Harry rubs blearily at his eyes and yawns widely, a little grumpy at having been jolted awake. He swings his legs over the edge of the bed and sits for a few moments, straining his ears to try and hear anything else.

He should have known the moment he stood, that something would happen.

His entire world shifts and he ends up suspended in mid-air, upside down, with his hands mere inches from the ground but with nothing to grab onto to change his position. 

With a sigh, Harry resigns himself to the fact that he’s going to be stuck like this for a while. 

There’s no chances of his dorm mates coming in and finding him, and helping him down. Nope, he is the only one in the seventh year Ravenclaw boys to remain at Hogwarts for the duration of the Christmas holiday break. There is just no telling how long Harry is going to be stuck like this for. 

His wand is out of reach, sitting in its special spot near his headboard, and therefore is no use to him in his current predicament.

Half an hour, at least, passes before the door to his room opens and he sees Louis’ upside down face come into view, his arms crossed over his chest and a pout on his face.

“Harold,” he starts. “Just hanging around, I see?”

“Ha, ha,” Harry replies. “Can you please get me down, Lou?”

Louis huffs a breath and waves his wand, ending the spell. Harry feels dizzy as he is suddenly righted and his stomach wobbles around inside of him, making him feel woozy. He sits back down on his bed, clutching at his stomach, willing it to start feeling better already. 

The bed dips as Louis sits down next to him. 

“You’re no fun, Harold,” Louis begins. “I was waiting for you to start shouting and calling for help. You didn’t play along very well.” He sniffs, seemingly upset but Harry knows better. He drapes his arm across Louis’ shoulders and brings him in for a close cuddle.

It’s all a ruse, though. He reaches for his wand and quickly jinxes Louis before Louis has any time to react. It’s a small jinx, something that will wear off in five minutes, but it gives Harry a chance to make a break for it, running to hide from Louis, completely ignoring the fact that he is only wearing pyjama bottoms and is running through a big, draft castle with no socks on.

He crashes into Niall just outside of the Ravenclaw entrance and they go sprawling across the floor. 

“Sorry, Niall,” Harry apologises breathily. 

“’S alright, Harry,” Niall replies, standing up and dusting himself off. “Louis hex you again?’

Harry nods. “I got him back with a sticking jinx. He’s stuck to my bed for five minutes.”

Niall grins widely. “ _Stuck_ , hey?” he asks, waggling his eyebrows.

Harry promptly flushes. “ _Not_ like _that_!” he exclaims, embarrassed.

“When will you admit that you’re madly in love with Tommo?” Niall asks as they begin to walk towards the kitchens. It’s always towards the kitchen with Niall. “You’ll do us all a favour by admitting it so you both can stop this little jinxing flirting thing you have going on.”

“We don’t jinx flirt,” Harry replies slowly. “And I’m not in love with him.”

Niall snorts loudly. “Yeah, and I’m the bloody Queen of England.” He shakes his head and they turn the corner, heading down some stairs. 

Of course, the stairs start to move the second they step foot onto them. Harry wobbles a little but Niall takes it all in his stride, completely at ease with the moving stairs. When the stairs stop moving, Niall keeps walking down them like it doesn’t mean they’ll have to change their route to the kitchens. 

“You should do something about it,” Niall continues. “It’s his birthday tomorrow, maybe you should bake him a cake? Tommo loves cake!”

Harry bites his lip. He _does_ love to bake things. Except he has to deal with the house elves. The first time Harry had made his way into the kitchens by accident in his third year, searching for something other than the kitchen, he had been berated by the house elves for being in their space. 

Since then he has made friends with a few of the elves, of course, one in particular took a liking to him. She lets him come in and bake biscuits and things when he’s particularly stressed. It soothes him and clears his mind at the same time in a way that only baking with his mum ever could.

He often goes down to the kitchens when he’s feeling homesick as well.

It wasn’t so bad when he was a first year and Gemma was with him but when she left, he got homesick more and more often. As he got older, though, it wasn’t as bad. He had a good group of friends, Louis included. They had been best friends since Harry accidentally urinated on him in the toilets in their first year. Even though they were in different houses, they still remained close friends.

It was somewhere around the end of Harry’s third year to the beginning of fourth year that Harry fell in love with Louis. He had kept it under wraps, of course. The last thing he needed was his friendship with Louis to end because he couldn’t help his feelings for Louis. He had wished several times for his feelings to go away. Even going up to the Astronomy tower and wishing on a shooting star hadn’t helped. 

So Harry has been silently (for the most part) in love with Louis Tomlinson, grateful for his friendship above all else.

Niall only found out when Harry had made Louis a birthday cake in fifth year. Louis had to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas and he had grumbled about not having a proper birthday celebration for weeks. Harry, despite his homesick feelings, had asked his mum to stay at Hogwarts as well. He wanted Louis to know that he was loved and that he could have a nice birthday, even while being stuck at Hogwarts.

Niall had stayed at Hogwarts over Christmas that year as well and he had kept Harry’s secret to himself ever since. 

It’s not that Harry is ashamed of his feelings. Not at all. He came out to his mum when he was eight years old, after falling in love with Chandler from Friends. It’s just that Louis is his _very_ best friend in the entire world, magical and muggle, and Harry doesn’t want to ruin that. He loves Louis, absolutely, but he doesn’t want to lose Louis by telling Louis how he feels about him. Because he’s _certain_ that will happen. 

The kitchen door swings open and Harry is immediately overcome with several different, delicious smells all at once.

“Mister Harry Styles!” Misty, Harry’s favourite house elf, exclaims. “Misty isn’t seeing you until tomorrow!”

“Sorry, Misty, I dragged him down here,” Niall replies on Harry’s behalf. “I was feeling peckish and Harry was with me.”

Misty nods and guides them to sit down so she can start piling food in front of them. It works out well for Harry, since he didn’t manage to get to breakfast, with his being jinxed to hang in mid-air and all. 

Harry tucks into his bacon and eggs, his stomach having settled enough to eat. He chats quietly with Misty about his plans to come into the kitchen and make a birthday cake for Louis again.

Niall raises his eyebrows at this. “So you _are_ going to make him a cake then?”

Harry flushes deeply. “I make him a cake every year. He’s going to be seventeen, it’s tradition now that I make him a cake.”

“And you say you’re not in love with him,” Niall scoffs as he takes a massive bite of his bacon sandwich, sauce dribbling out of the end and onto the plate sitting on the table.

Harry doesn’t respond, trying to focus on his own breakfast. He knows that later that afternoon, he’ll be back in the kitchen, making a birthday cake for Louis’ birthday that he can give to him upon waking. He’ll sneak into Louis’ room and sit on the edge of Louis’ bed, waiting for Louis to wake up so he can give him his birthday cake and the gifts Harry purchased for him from their first Hogsmeade visit of the year. 

He knows that his insides will flutter and swoop when Louis wakes up and gives Harry the sweetest look that anyone can muster. And he knows that he’ll fall in love just a little bit more. 

It’s all worth it, though, Harry thinks. Because Louis’ birthday is even more important to him than Christmas is. 

“…homework and it’s just ridiculous,” Niall says. Harry blinks, looking up at him. “Isn’t it ridiculous, Harry?”

Harry blinks again. “Sorry?” 

Niall rolls his eyes, a fond expression on his face.

Before he can say anything else, however, Louis bursts into the kitchen, looking slightly exasperated but also satisfied.

“Found you,” he says breathlessly. “Bloody bastard, aren’t you? Hitting me with a _sticking_ jinx!”

Harry hides his grin behind his mug of tea. Louis snatches it from him and takes a long sip. 

“What are you bloody grinning at?” he asks Niall, who just shrugs at Louis, his lips quirked in a smirk. 

Louis ignores him and turns to Harry, pressing into his side. “Good jinx this morning, Harold,” he says. “I’ll get you on par with me, yet!”

Harry grins, ducking his head a little. “I didn’t appreciate being turned upside down this morning, though, Lou,” he says. “I was like that for half an hour.”

“That’s your own fault,” Louis replies. “I would’ve helped you if you had called out.”

“I didn’t know you were still there,” Harry says. “I thought you had left me hanging.” He sees Louis’ lips twitch at the pun but he doesn’t say anything. 

“That’s still your fault, Harold,” Louis replies. He shrugs and sets the cup of tea down and snatches some food off Harry’s plate. He starts chomping on a piece of bacon and Harry can’t help but stare at the way Louis’ lips shine, completely distracting him from the conversation Louis has taken up with Niall.

It’s something about Quidditch. It’s _always_ about Quidditch with Louis and Niall. They both play for their own houses. Louis is a chaser and Niall is a keeper. Harry often feels torn on who to cheer for whenever it’s Slytherin versus Hufflepuff, because he’s good friends with both of them. Often, he compromises by wearing a Hufflepuff beanie and a Slytherin scarf. They clash awfully with his Ravenclaw robes but most of the time, Harry doesn’t care. He only wants to support both of his friends.

“C’mon, Harold, we have things to do,” Louis says when he’s finished eating Harry’s breakfast. “I need to teach you some more jinxes before the holidays are over.”

“Alright, Lou,” Harry agrees immediately. Niall smirks at him. He can practically see the cogs turning in Niall’s mind at the suggestion of Harry and Louis spending _more_ time alone together. 

Childishly, Harry pokes his tongue out at Niall and follows Louis from the kitchens like an over eager puppy. Harry resents his mind for thinking that but he can’t help and realise that it’s true as he follows Louis’ brisk walk out of the kitchens and down to the dungeons.

*

The cake is perfect.

Harry’s chest puffs with pride as he looks at the finished product of the cake he’s made for Louis for his birthday. Misty had supervised him in the kitchen, hovering close, despite Harry’s insistence that he can make a cake all on his own. She does it every year, though. It’s something Harry has grown used to whenever he enters the kitchen. She’s a soothing presence, though. And Harry knows that if he messes something up, she’ll be there to help him the second he needs it.

He casts a charm over the cake to keep it fresh. And then another over it to protect it from anyone but him touching it. The last thing he needs is Niall wandering down during the middle of the night for a snack and cutting himself a slice while being half asleep. 

He casts a few more charms over it, just for precaution, and thanks Misty for all of her help. He makes his way back to his dormitory, ready to collapse into his bed. He’s thoroughly exhausted.

After he and Louis had practiced jinxes together, Louis had wanted to go for a fly around the grounds to see how far the snow had fallen. Harry’s thighs ached from clenching around a broom for so long. 

There was a reason that he was not on the Quidditch team and brooms were one of those reasons. Others were his complete lack of coordination on the _ground_. If he tripped over thin air, he wasn’t sure how he would go actually flying. And not only that, but flying _and_ trying to dodge bludgers, other team members _and_ try and score points for his team. 

Nope, Harry was better off on solid ground where if he falls over, the most damage he does is to himself.

He trudges up the stairs to his room and yawns widely. He has a chance to get a few hours of sleep before he goes and wakes Louis up with his birthday tradition. 

What Harry doesn’t expect, however, is Louis to be in his room. More specifically, curled up in Harry’s bed, fast asleep. Harry feels like a creeper as he stands there and watches Louis for a few minutes. 

He just looks so peaceful and sweet. His hair swoops over his forehead, brushing his brow. His face is completely relaxed and he looks younger than he is. It’s after midnight already, so Louis is already seventeen, but right here, he looks like he’s fifteen. That thought makes Harry feel a little better. He knows his own cherub looking face makes him look like he’s fifteen as well, so it works out for both of them.

Reluctantly, Harry turns his gaze away from Louis so he can go and have a shower. He feels like he has cake batter in his pores and he knows that if he doesn’t shower now, he will regret it in the morning.

He takes his time, making sure that he’s thoroughly clean and smelling fresh before he heads back into his dormitory. Louis is still fast asleep, but he’s shifted away from the middle of the bed, giving Harry enough room to climb in next to him.

Without a sound, Harry lifts the edge of the blankets and slips into bed. Louis immediately curls around Harry, his nose pressing into the back of Harry’s head. His arms hold Harry close, spooning him.

Harry grins, letting himself have this for a few minutes before reality kicks in. He falls asleep with a smile.

Come morning, Louis is still draped across Harry’s back. There is light streaming in from the window, flooding the room. Harry yawns and shifts, rolling over so he’s facing Louis. 

His lips are parted ever so slightly, his soft breath puffing out evenly, indicating that he’s still fast asleep. Harry bites his lip and traces a finger down the bridge of Louis’ nose. It twitches but he doesn’t wake up.

Harry breathes a sigh of relief and gets out of bed. He quickly calls for Misty to bring him the cake and he charms it to float in the air, floating next to him as he re-enters his room. He stops and casts another charm to keep the cake in the air so he doesn’t accidentally step on it or something. He casts a few more charms to protect it from dust and anything else floating in the room that he can’t see with his naked eye. Once he’s satisfied that the cake is going to come to no harm, Harry climbs back into bed.

It’s dangerous, being this close to Louis. Being in _bed_ with Louis. Especially when Harry has no idea what Louis is even doing there to begin with. But Harry isn’t going to kick his best friend out of bed, no matter what the reason. 

Harry remembers Louis’ birthday presents and he quietly waves his wand, letting them zoom around the room out of their hiding spots to surround the cake which is still sitting in mid-air. He arranges them to be a smiley face and hopes that Louis appreciates his efforts. 

He _may_ have gone a little overboard with birthday presents for Louis but it’s all worth it in his mind. Once he has finished with his charms, Harry sets his wand down on his night stand and settles back in Louis’ embrace for a little more sleep. It’s still relatively early and Louis likes to sleep in whenever he can. 

Harry watches Louis for a few more minutes, taking in the swoop of his hair, the way his gorgeously long eyelashes brush against the mounds of his cheekbones. His lips are so inviting. They’re slightly pink in colour and if Harry and Louis were in a relationship, he would have no qualms in peppering kisses all over Louis’ beautiful face to wake him up.

A small sigh escapes Harry’s lips. He reaches up and brushes Louis’ hair out of his eyes and rests his head back on the pillow. He blinks sleepily and lets himself be lulled back to sleep by the soft rhythm of Louis’ breathing.

When Harry wakes next, the light in the room has grown brighter. Louis is still asleep, he notes happily, but there’s a shift in his breathing. He’s close to waking up, Harry can tell. He smiles and watches Louis slowly wake up.

One of his eyes opens and he huffs, snuggling further into the pillows, tugging the blankets up so they’re tight underneath his chin.

“Why are you watching me sleep, creeper?” Louis mumbles through the blankets and his sleep laden voice.

“Why are you in my bed, Lewis?” Harry retorts. 

Louis opens one eye again and peers around the room. From where they’re lying, the Ravenclaw colours can easily be seen on the beds of the other boys who share Harry’s dormitory room with him. 

With another huff, Louis scrunches his eyes closed and shakes his head. “It’s my birthday, I don’t have to answer your inane questions.”

Harry smiles to himself. “Happy birthday, Lou,” he says softly.

Underneath the covers, Louis’ hand finds Harry’s and he laces their fingers together, squeezing ever so slightly. Harry’s heart thuds in his chest at the contact. 

It seems like Louis goes back to sleep for a little bit. His grip loosens on Harry’s hand and his eyes are still closed. His breathing hasn’t really changed, though, so that’s Harry’s only indicator that he’s still awake.

Then, all of a sudden, Louis shifts and pulls the blankets over both of their heads, plunging them into semi darkness and a stuffy space that smells like teenage boy. 

“It’s my birthday,” Louis whispers after a few minutes more of silence. Harry wonders what’s going through his head.

“It is,” Harry agrees. “You’re seventeen now. Is it any different?” It’s a question he asks Louis every year. Louis takes pride on being older than Harry by a few months. It makes him feel more mature, even if he never really acts like it.

“A little,” Louis replies. “I can legally apparate now, if I wanted to.”

“Where would you go first?” Harry asks, grinning. 

Louis chews on his lip. “I don’t know,” he replies. “Maybe we could go to Australia?”

“We?” Harry repeats. “You’d take me with you?” The question is filled with hope, making Harry’s toes tingle in anticipation.

“Yeah, of course,” Louis replies. “Why would I go anywhere without you? It wouldn’t be worth it.”

Harry’s cheeks heat up considerably and he’s glad that underneath the covers is quite dark so Louis can’t see how red he is and tease him for it.

“I’d like that,” Harry eventually says. “It’s summer in Australia, it’d be weird spending Christmas in the heat.”

“It would,” Louis agrees. 

Silence lapses between them again. Louis tightens his grip on Harry’s hand after a few long moments and then he burrows closer, looping his free arm around Harry’s middle.

“I told myself,” Louis starts slowly, his voice a whisper like speaking louder might damage the moment or something. At least, that’s what Harry hopes. “I told myself that on my seventeenth birthday, if I hadn’t told you how I felt before, that I would do it that day.”

Harry’s heart beat picks up in his chest. 

Louis looks up at him and whispers a soft _‘Lumos’_ , his wand casting the faintest of glows. It makes Louis look like a gorgeous creature that everyone wants and that no one can have. He licks his suddenly dry lips.

Louis takes a deep breath and stares Harry in the eye. “I’m in love with you, Harry Styles,” he says. “I have been for a very long time now and every time I look at you, I fall a little deeper. You’re the sweetest and kindest person I have ever met. You have a heart of gold, probably literally, knowing you, and I just wanted you to know how I felt, even though you don’t feel the same.”

Harry is _gobsmacked_. He’s stunned. 

Never in a million years did he expect Louis to say _that_ to him. His mind spins and his heart thuds against his rib cage, sounding impossibly loud to his own ears. 

Before he can lose his nerve, Harry surges forwards and kisses Louis on the lips. He takes in the expectant squawk that Louis lets out and smiles internally when Louis starts kissing him back. 

Louis’ lips are soft under Harry’s own and his kisses sweet. Harry never wants to stop. They kiss for a little while until the air under the blankets becomes too hot and the air in their lungs becomes not enough. Louis heaves the blankets off and takes a big, gulping breath. He grins over at Harry and immediately curls closer. 

“I’m in love with you too, by the way,” Harry whispers and Louis just grins at him. “I have been for a _very_ long time now. Just ask Niall.”

“I wish you had told me sooner, we could have been doing this for ages if you had,” Louis says.

“Me?” Harry asks.

Louis nods. “Yes, Harold, you,” he replies. “It’s _my_ birthday, therefore _I_ am right.”

Harry’s too filled with joy to even mind, really. He’s just glad he has Louis now. “So, are we boyfriends then?” he asks.

Louis pretends to ponder. “I like the sound of that,” he replies. “Boyfriend.”

Harry grins and kisses Louis again, small, sweet kisses that leave his stomach swooping pleasantly and leave his feet warm. 

“I thought you would have realised,” Louis says softly, running his hand through Harry’s curls. “I don’t jinx just _anyone_ for fun. You’re the only one I care about undoing the jinxes on.”

“I thought you were just being you,” Harry admits. “We’re best mates that prank each other.”

“Your pranks and jinxes weren’t that good, Harold,” Louis says.

Harry’s mouth drops open. “Yes they were!” he exclaims.

“Not compared to mine,” Louis points out. They squabble for a few more moments before Louis shuts them both up with a kiss. Harry could get used to this. He melts into Louis’ embrace and kisses him back, enjoying the way Louis’ lips fit perfectly with his own.

An obnoxiously loud knock on the door interrupts them.

“Oi, open up!” Niall calls out. “I know Louis’ in there – he wasn’t in his own bed and you have cake, Harry!”

Harry grins at Louis and they dissolve into giggles.

“C’mon, open up! I want cake too!” Niall says, pounding on the door again.

“I _may_ have hexed the door,” Louis admits as he pushes Harry onto his back, draping himself across Harry’s chest. “It’s my birthday, after all, and I can do what I want.”

They kiss for a few more minutes, letting themselves have this before they open the door. Niall, in his haste for cake, completely misses how tangled up in each other they are. It’s a silent agreement between Harry and Louis that they’ll no longer jinx each other but will turn their efforts onto more unsuspecting victims… especially ones who just want to eat birthday cake before Louis has even made his birthday wish.


End file.
